A spherical conducting ball is suspended by a grounded conducting thre...
Explanation:
The behavior of the conducting ball can be understood by considering the distribution of charges on it and the interaction between the charges.
1. Distribution of Charges:
When a positively charged object is brought near the conducting ball, the charges in the ball redistribute themselves in response to the external electric field. Since the ball is a conductor, the charges are free to move within it.
- The positive charge on the external object repels the positive charges in the ball, causing them to move away from the object.
- The negative charges in the ball are attracted to the positive charge of the external object and move closer to it.
This redistribution of charges results in an excess of negative charges on the side of the ball closest to the external object and an excess of positive charges on the opposite side.
2. Attraction and Repulsion:
The excess negative charges on the side of the ball facing the external positive charge create an electric field that is directed towards the positive charge. This electric field exerts an attractive force on the ball.
On the other hand, the excess positive charges on the opposite side of the ball create an electric field that is directed away from the positive charge. This electric field exerts a repulsive force on the ball.
3. Resultant Force:
The attractive force due to the excess negative charges is stronger than the repulsive force due to the excess positive charges. As a result, the ball experiences a net force towards the positive charge.
4. Swing towards the Point Charge:
Since the ball is suspended by a grounded conducting thread, it is free to swing. The net force towards the positive charge causes the ball to swing towards it.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'A': the ball will be attracted to the point charge and swing towards it.
It's important to note that if the ball were negatively charged, the redistribution of charges and the resulting forces would be opposite. In that case, the ball would be repelled by the positive point charge and swing away from it.